The North Charleston Fire Department will be conducting hydrant testing throughout the City of North Charleston in the month of March. Firefighters will flow each hydrant to ensure that the hydrant functions properly and that adequate water will be available in the event of a fire.

Firefighters will be posting signs in the neighborhoods to inform residents that hydrant testing is in progress. Firefighters will be as careful as possible to minimize damage to lawns or landscaping from the flow of water. Despite all precautions, there is the possibility that sediment from the water system may become visible in residential tap water. If a resident encounters discolored water they should run the faucet in their home until the water runs clear. The North Charleston Fire Department thanks residents in advance for their understanding as we perform this required task to ensure the safety of our City.

If you encounter any other problems with your water, please contact your water department. Charleston Water System can be reached at (843) 727-6800 or Dorchester County Water and Sewer Department may be reached at (843) 832-0075.

Indigo Residents – Dorchester County Councilman George Bailey and City Councilman Dwight Stigler will be meeting with the Dorchester County Transportation Committee next month about the road conditions in your subdivision. They are optimistic that they can, at a minimum, get some work started this year but it’s impossible to make that promise. They both expect the work to take several years due to the limited funding and numerous roads in the county needing repair. There’s a lot of competition in the county for the road funding $’s.

I would like to take the opportunity to pass along information on Adult Sports being offered to the residents of the Northern Corridor. I am asking you to pass this information along to your respective citizens and neighborhood. We have a wonderful opportunity to use property at Cathedral of Praise to offer these programs.

I greatly appreciate your assistance in distributing the information contained in the attachment, Northern Corridor Adult Athletic Flier, in regards to Co-Ed Kickball and Co-Ed Softball. I would also like to take advantage of this opportunity to thank each of you for what you do in providing our citizens with a better quality of life.

Another reminder — The next meeting of the Fort Dorchester Residential Association is Monday, March 3, at 7 p.m. at the new Wescott community center building — right in front of the dog park. Police Chief Eddie Driggers will speak. I will update you on several issues, like the Charleston County recycling plant planning and proposed traffic improvements on Palmetto Commerce Parkway. The FDRA has become a forum and a voice for our broad community. Everyone is invited ! I hope YOU will be there on March 3.

Back-to-back ice storms have brought many challenges to the city’s Public Works Department. By all accounts, though, the department has performed well and we thank all residents for their patience. Garbage, trash and recycling pickups should be on schedule this week.

Some good news on a very popular issue among District 4 and District 9 residents — Marshalls at the Corner at Wescott has moved its opening up to this Thursday, February 20. The celebration begins at 8 a.m. “The new North Charleston store will be stocked with a new, fresh assortment of the designer and brand-name merchandise that shoppers love, every single week,” said Richard Sherr, president of Marshalls. Opening-day promotions include giveaways and prizes. Also, Marshalls will present My Sister’s House, a nonprofit that provides safe haven for domestically abused families, with a $5,000 donation at the Feb. 20 ribbon cutting. This 25,000 square foot store will replace the chain’s Rivers’ Avenue store which will close this week. New stores and restaurants are opening steadily at this very attractive new shopping center. Harris Teeter continues to draw big crowds a month after its opening.

Look for new signs at the Corner at Wescott to guide traffic from the parking areas back to Dorchester Road — and a new sign near Old Glory that will feature a marquee for Fort Dorchester Elementary. The city will soon be doing some upgrades on the Wescott subdivision monument signs and fencing at the Dorchester – Wescott Boulevard intersection. Also, work on the Dorchester Road buffer will begin soon under the supervision of the city. This will groom the buffer and with supplemental plantings, the opacity will be increased.

There are two major concerns about Charleston County’s recent decision to locate its new recycling facility on Palmetto Commerce Parkway – buffering of this facility for neighborhoods, like Indigo Palms, Coosaw Creek and the new Coosaw Preserve development, and traffic on Palmetto Commerce Parkway. We now have assurances that Indigo Palms and Coosaw Creek will be separated from the new facility by wetlands and an agriculture property. The facility will be no closer than .7 mile to the nearest property line at Coosaw Creek, farther, of course, for Indigo Palms. I will have maps and aerial photography to display at the FDRA meeting March 3. As for truck traffic issues — this is very much an unsettled matter. I will share views with you on March 3.

Look for some news soon about the future of the Festival Shopping Center, Ashley Phosphate/Patriot Boulevard/Dorchester Road. This long suffering property apparently is destined for a major overhaul with some very interesting commercial commitments. Still early for details but planning is in progress – and that’s a very good thing.

Please check www.ronbrinson.com for daily crime reports and www.northcharleston.org for loads of information about city services and activities. Please share this little newsletter with your friends and neighbors and I’ll be glad to add anyone to the circulation list. They need only to contact me at this address rbrin@aol.com

Do you appreciate the work that Councilman Brinson and Stigler do? Show them by being a registered voter!

Emergency Preparedness Coordinator just participated in a call with the Chas NWS. A Winter Storm Watch will be issued from Tues PM through Thurs AM. A cold front will be making its way into the state later tonight bringing colder temperatures and freezing rain into our area – no snow/sleet in the current forecast. Expect rain throughout the day tomorrow transitioning to freezing rain tomorrow evening and into Wednesday night. Precipitation should be ending early on Thursday and temperatures will begin to climb back up above freezing. Models are showing up to 3 inches of rain from Tuesday to Thursday.

Ice accumulation: The current forecast indicates 1/10 – 1/4 inch for upper Dorchester County (1/4 – ½ inch along the Orangeburg line) and less than 1/10 for lower Dorchester County.

Another conference call is scheduled for tomorrow morning and I will provide an update immediately following. Please don’t hesitate to give me a call if you have questions or concerns.

NOTE: Charleston County, at this time, is not in the watch area therefore <0.1 inch of freezing/icy rain for late Tuesday night into Wednesday. It appears that we may not experience the same conditions that we saw (2) weeks ago except rain. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep everyone updated.

The next meeting of the Fort Dorchester Residential Association is Monday, March 3, at 7 p.m. at the new Wescott community center building — right in front of the dog park. Police Chief Eddie Driggers will speak and I will update you on several issues, such as the Charleston County recycling plant planning and proposed traffic improvements on Palmetto Commerce Parkway. The FDRA has become a forum and a voice for our broad community. Everyone is invited and I hope YOU will be there on March 3.

The Corner at Wescott is quickly becoming a gathering place for our community. The Harris Teeter store reportedly has set company records for new store sales in its first two weeks. Marshall’s should open the first week in March. Starbucks, Moe’s, Marco’s Pizza, Hallmark, Pet Supplies Plus, TCBY, and Jersey Mike’s are all open now too. In fact, Pet Supplies Plus is having its “grand opening” this weekend, featuring lots of sales and some pretty impressive door prizes. Massage Envy should be opened in early April. And there’s more to come — Rack Room Shoes, Bank, Five Guy’s Burgers, and others yet to be announced. I’ll keep you posted.

Rush-hour traffic at Palmetto Commerce Parkway at Ladson Road is a nightmare. And with the new Sunoco campus now open for business and the Spinx fuel station – convenience store operation now under construction at this intersection, traffic in this area will surely become more congested. Councilman Stigler and I have been working with Mayor Summey and his staff to expedite some solutions. The good news –Charleston County is the final design stages of a project to improve this intersection, especially during peak hours. The plan– maintain the existing landscaped median and left turn lane on Palmetto Commerce Parkway. Then convert the existing right turn lane into a left turn lane and construct a new right turn lane. This will create dual left turns lanes from Palmetto Commerce Parkway onto west bound Ladson Road and one right turn lane onto east bound Ladson Road. Better traffic light calibration will help, too. The timetable summary – a contract should be awarded by April 17 and the contractor will have 90 days to complete the work.

Here’s an aerial photograph schematic:

Wescott Traffic Circle reconstruction is moving along. Better drainage, better curbing, lighting and landscaping are in store. This project should be completed by mid-March.

Councilman Stigler has taken the lead in planning for a “marque” sign for Fort Dorchester Elementary School at Old Glory and Wescott Blvd. The sign location is already part of the development plan for the Corner at Wescott. Dwight has been working to get space on the sign for school; in fact, he wants the school “featured” on the sign. His update: “The developer has expressed willingness to add FDES to the sign and even to pay for a majority of the sign! The sign will aid with communication to parents as they pass by the entrance road to the school. Currently, the school doesn’t have a sign and has to rent one and place it in the median of Old Glory during times of important announcements. We’re very optimistic that we can have this new marque sign by next school year.”

Back to The Corner at Wescott shopping center…..this has turned out to be a very attractive complex. The exteriors demonstrate the developer’s commitment to the city’s demands that these buildings meet high aesthetic values. If there is one unattractive and ineffective feature, it is the 40-foot natural buffer along the three-eighths of a mile of frontage on Dorchester Road. This buffer is neither opaque nor attractive. We have been working with the developer on ways to, 1. Clean-up and improve the symmetry of the vegetation, and, 2. Supplement the buffer with well-considered plantings that would increase opacity. The work will be directly supervised by the City’s arborist. Look for this process to begin in a couple of weeks and will last for several weeks. The goal has been dubbed ‘The Summey Standard”. The mayor has firmly directed that the buffer will generally shield views of the parking lot to any motorist or passenger on Dorchester Road while allowing some visibility through the landscaping of the commercial signage of the major stores. I will keep you posted as this project begins.

Please contact me anytime I can assist you or provide information about our city…..check in regularly at www.northcharleston.org for news about city activities…..and please share this little newsletter with your neighbors. I’ll be glad to add them to the distribution list. They need only contact me at this address -

Thank you for letting me serve you! I hope your new year has started off well and I hope your new year is full of blessings all year long.

Indigo & The Park at River’s Edge
I enjoyed meeting with you during your recent HOA meeting. Please continue to invite me so we can discuss your concerns and interests and get action for tasks you assign to me. Indigo – the repaving request of Indigo Blvd. by your entrance has been submitted to Dorchester County. I will let you know when I learn more.

Harris Teeter Opens…and more!
Wow, what an amazing store and it’s so conveniently located to so many residents. Marshall’s is planned to open in March. Marco’s Pizza, Hallmark, Pet Supplies Plus, TCBY, Jersey Mike’s are all open now too. There’s a lot more to come. Rack Room Shoes, Bank, Five Guy’s Burgers and Fries, Chiropractor, Dentist, and other’s unannounced as of today. I’ll keep you posted.

Fort Dorchester Elementary School
I’ve been working with FDES and the developer of The Corner at Wescott to add a marque sign at the corner of Old Glory and Wescott Blvd. The sign location is already part of the PDD for the shopping center, we want to add space for FDES. Graciously, the developer has expressed willingness to add FDES to the sign and to pay for a majority of the sign! This may require us to raise the remaining funds as a community, so please start saving. The sign will aid with communication to parents as they pass by the entrance road to the school. Currently, the school doesn’t have a sign and has to rent one and place it in the median of Old Glory during times of important announcements. We’re very optimistic that we can have this new marque sign by next school year.

Meet Chief of Police Eddie Driggers!
You are invited! The Fort Dorchester Residential Association is meeting on March 3 and Chief of Police Eddie Driggers will be the featured guest speaker. The FDRA is a civic association covering the major neighborhoods of our city in Dorchester County. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the new Wescott Park community center building. All residents of districts 4 and 9 are encouraged to attend; that’s you! Mark this important and informative meeting on your calendar.

Wescott Traffic Circle

I was recently interviewed by Kim Staley of Live 5 News. The story didn’t’ cover all of the details that I’m trying to improve at the circle. Also, it mentions the circle is in Summerville. All of Wescott is in the city of North Charleston despite our mailing address. The story helped to gain the attention we need with the city along with your emails. This has been a 2 year project! We received a commitment from our Mayor’s office and Public Works to have the work completed within a month…now just a couple weeks away. You’ve seen the progress in the past two weeks. Thank you for sending emails to our Mayor’s office about this dangerous circle. Here’s the link to the story: http://www.live5news.com/category/240206/video-landing-page?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9800998

I developed this website and partnered with Councilman Brinson so we wouldn’t inundate you with a constant stream of daily emails. You can get the information you want, when you want it, and as often as you want it, by visiting the website. By the time I send this newsletter out, some of the information is old. So check the website daily for new postings and please share the site to your friends and neighbors.

Facebook and Twitter

I quite often post information on Facebook and Twitter that isn’t posted on my website or sent through email. Often I’m just answering questions or discovering problems that I need to resolve or providing a recent update. Follow me there too so we can stay in touch and so I can serve you effectively.

I would like to keep in touch with you. Contact me by replying to this email and I’ll add you to my distribution list. As I mentioned above, I don’t send many emails but this is a good way to keep in touch.